Machine for blending tobacco or the like

Claim 2

A machine for blending various types of tobacco or like fibrous materials, comprising blending means; at least two conveyor lines for supplying to said blending means different types of material; measuring means provided in one of said conveyor lines for determining the rate of material flow per unit of time therein and means provided in the other conveyor line for regulating the rate of material flow as a function of the results of measurements carried out by said measuring means.

Claim 3

A machine as defined in claim 1, further comprising second material flow rate regulating means provided in said one conveyor line and including said measuring means.

Claim 4

A machine as defined in claim 1, wherein said conveyor lines are arranged to supply the respective types of material to said blending means at a constant ratio, said proportioning means comprising feeder means having a variable supply of the respective material type for delivery to said blending means and means for delivering to said feeder means material at a rate which is a function of the quantity of material in said supply.

Claim 5

A machine as defined in claiM 1, wherein each of said conveyor lines comprises a conveyor for the respective material type, variable-speed drive means for each of said conveyors, and regulator means for regulating one of said drive means as a function of the speed of the other drive means.

Claim 6

A machine as defined in claim 4, further comprising at least one processing apparatus provided in said one conveyor line intermediate sad ring means and the respective conveyor for subjecting the respective material type to at least one treatment for affecting the rate of delivery of material per unit of time toward said measuring means, the conveyor in said one conveyor line being arranged to supply to said processing apparatus material at a rate which at least temporarily exceeds the capacity of said processing apparatus whereby the processing apparatus refuses the surplus of the thus delivered material, recirculating means for collecting upstream of said processing apparatus such surplus material which is refused by said processing apparatus, nd speed changer means for regulating the drive means of the conveyor in said one conveyor line a s a function of the amounts of refused material on said recirculating means.

Claim 7

A machine for blending various types of tobacco or like fibrous materials, comprising blending means; at least two conveyor lines for supplying to said blending means different types of material a measuring device provided in one of said conveyor lines for determining the rate of material flow per unit of time; a proportioning device provided in the other conveyor line for regulating the rate of material flow as a function of the results of measurements carried out by said measuring device; and timelag means provided in at least one of said conveyor lines between said blending means and the respective device for regulating the time required by successive increments of the respective material to cover the distance between the respective device and said blending means.

Claim 8

A machine for blending various types of tobacco or like fibrous materials, comprising blending means; at least two conveyor lines for supplying to said blending means different types of material a measuring device provided in one of said conveyor lines for determining the rate of material flow per unit of time; a proportioning device provided in the other conveyor line for regulating the rate of material flow as a function of the results of measurements carried out by said measuring device; and timelag means provided in at least one of said conveyor lines between said blending means and the respective device for regulating the time required by successive increments of the respective material to cover the distance between the respective device and said blending means.

Claim 9

A machine as defined in claim 6 further comprising at least one additional conveyor line for supplying to said blending means a further type of material, one of said conveyor lines being arranged to deliver one type of said material at a speed which is less than the speed of material in the remaining conveyor lines, one of said timelag means being provided in each of said remaining conveyor lines.

Claim 10

A machine for blending various types of tobacco or like fibrous materials, comprising blending means; at least two conveyor lines for supplying to said blending means different types of material, at least one adjustable processing apparatus provided in at least one of said conveyor lines and operative to treat the respective material type; signal-generating detector means for detecting changes in the rate of supply of material by one of said conveyor lines; and operating means for adjusting said processing apparatus in response to signals from said detector means, said detector means and said processing apparatus being provided in different conveyor lines.

Claim 11

A machine for blending various types of tobacco or like fibrous materials, comprising blending means; at least two conveyor lines for supplying to said blending means different types of material, at least one adjustable processing apparatus provided in at least one of said conveyor lines and operative to treat the respective material type; signal-generating detector means for detecting changes in the rate of supply of material by one of said conveyor lines; and operating means for adjusting said processing apparatus in response to signals from said detector means, said detector means and said processing apparatus being provided in different conveyor lines.

Claim 12

A machine for blending various types to tobacco or like fibrous materials, comprising blending means; at least two conveyor lines for supplying to said blending means different types of material; at least one first adjustable processing apparatus provided in at least one of said conveyor lines and operative to treat the respective material type; signal-generating detector means for detecting changes in he rate of supply of material by one of said conveyor lines; first operating means for adjusting said processing apparatus in response to signals from said detector means; at least one second adjustable processing apparatus provided in the other conveyor line and operative to treat the respective material type; and second operating means for adjusting said second processing apparatus in response to signals received from said detector means, at least one of said processing apparatus being arranged to add to a respective material type one or more treating media and the rEspective operating means comprising rated-value-setting means for selecting said treating media, said rated-value-setting means having a plurality of settings in each of which said rated-value-setting means selects a different treating medium and said rated-value-setting means being adjustable to select at least one new treating medium while said one processing apparatus treats a charge of material with a previously selected treating medium.

Claim 13

A machine for blending various types to tobacco or like fibrous materials, comprising blending means; at least two conveyor lines for supplying to said blending means different types of material; at least one first adjustable processing apparatus provided in at least one of said conveyor lines and operative to treat the respective material type; signal-generating detector means for detecting changes in he rate of supply of material by one of said conveyor lines; first operating means for adjusting said processing apparatus in response to signals from said detector means; at least one second adjustable processing apparatus provided in the other conveyor line and operative to treat the respective material type; and second operating means for adjusting said second processing apparatus in response to signals received from said detector means, at least one of said processing apparatus being arranged to add to a respective material type one or more treating media and the rEspective operating means comprising rated-value-setting means for selecting said treating media, said rated-value-setting means having a plurality of settings in each of which said rated-value-setting means selects a different treating medium and said rated-value-setting means being adjustable to select at least one new treating medium while said one processing apparatus treats a charge of material with a previously selected treating medium.

Claim 14

A machine for blending various types of tobacco or like fibrous materials, comprising blending means; at least two conveyor lines for supplying to said blending means different types of material; at least one first adjustable processing apparatus provided in at least one of said conveyor lines and operative to treat the respective material type; signal-generating detector means for detecting changes in the rate of supply of material by one of said conveyor lines; first operating means for adjusting said processing apparatus in response to signals from said detector means; at least one second adjustable processing apparatus provided in the other conveyor line and operative to treat the respective material type; second operating means for adjusting said second processing apparatus in response to signals from said detector means, at least one of said processing apparatus being arranged to add to a respective material type one or more treating media ad the respective operating means comprising rate-value-setting means for selecting said treating media; and locking means associated with said rated-value-setting means to prevent changes in the addition of treating media during treatment of a charge of the respective material type and to effect repeated addition of the same treating medium upon completion of the treatment of a charge.

Claim 15

A machine for blending various types of tobacco or like fibrous materials, comprising blending means; at least two conveyor lines for supplying to said blending means different types of material; at least one first adjustable processing apparatus provided in at least one of said conveyor lines and operative to treat the respective material type; signal-generating detector means for detecting changes in the rate of supply of material by one of said conveyor lines; first operating means for adjusting said processing apparatus in response to signals from said detector means; at least one second adjustable processing apparatus provided in the other conveyor line and operative to treat the respective material type; second operating means for adjusting said second processing apparatus in response to signals from said detector means, at least one of said processing apparatus being arranged to add to a respective material type one or more treating media ad the respective operating means comprising rate-value-setting means for selecting said treating media; and locking means associated with said rated-value-setting means to prevent changes in the addition of treating media during treatment of a charge of the respective material type and to effect repeated addition of the same treating medium upon completion of the treatment of a charge.